Convertible household electric cooking appliance

ABSTRACT

A cooking appliance having an upper cooking unit pivotally mounted on a lower cooking unit for rotation substantially about a horizontal axis into three different positions, a first position in which the upper cooking unit is on top of the lower cooking unit to form a contact grill, a second position in which the upper cooking unit is substantially horizontally oriented with and parallel to the lower cooking unit to form therewith a double grooved griddle, and a third, generally upright, position intermediate the first and second positions to provide access to the lower cooking plate when the appliance is being used as a contact grill. The cooking plates have elongate grooves which are generally parallel to an axis of the hinge that connects the upper and lower cooking units together and which grooves increase in depth from one side of the cooking appliance to the other for carrying liquid cooking byproducts away from the food being cooked. The lower cooking plate is supported in a horizontal orientation and has liquid outlet surface portions which direct the liquid cooking byproducts to a collection tray removably located below the liquid outlet surface portions. The collection tray is located on one side of the lower cooking unit and a timer and a “power on” light are mounted on the front of the lower cooking unit in a position which does not interfere with the use of the tray.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No.09/571,802, filed May 16, 2000, which is a continuation of applicationSer. No. 09/286,539, filed Apr. 5, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,062,130,dated May 16, 2000.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates to a convertible household electriccooking appliance intended for indoor use and more particularly to ahousehold electric cooking appliance which may be used as a clamshell orcontact grill having heated upper and lower cooking plates thatcooperate to form a cooking chamber between them for rapidly cooking thefoods or may be used as a double, grooved griddle having twoupwardly-facing electrically-heated plates.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Indoor electric contact grills have grown substantially inpopularity among the consuming public and many models are commerciallyavailable through retail outlets. There is a 20 continuing need toprovide electric household grills which are attractive, safe, andconvenient to use. Household contact grills have a lower housing withfeet or pads for supporting the grill on a counter top and an upperhousing pivotally mounted for rotation about a horizontal pivot axis onthe upper housing. The lower and upper housing support respective upperand lower grill plates. The lower cooking plate usually has surfacesthat slope downwardly away from a proximal location near the pivot axisto a distal location which is considered to be at the front of thegrill. Accordingly, liquids, fats and small food particles that arebyproducts (herein after called “liquid cooking byproducts”) of thecooking process slide or flow down the sloping surfaces of the lowercooking plate to a collection vessel at the front of the grill, whichmay constitute a recess formed in the lower grill plate or may beseparate from the lower grill plate. A common practice for householdcontact grills is to provide a liquid byproduct outlet at the front ofthe grill and a collection tray is placed by the user underneath theliquid outlet. Such an arrangement is not altogether desirable becauseof the greater depth of counter space required for the grill and thecollection tray and because the tray is positioned such that the usercan easily accidentally bump against the tray.

[0004] Typical household electric contact grills have calrod heaters forthe grill plates that are preset to a single operating temperature and atimer that times the operation of the grill. The timers are usuallyspring-operated timers that are adjusted by the user to sound a signalafter an adjusted period of time has elapsed. For the convenience of theuser, the timer is preferably located at the front of the grill.

[0005] Most household electric contact grills are suited only for use asa contact grill. The prior art also includes so-called grooved griddlesor hot plates that have only an upwardly-facing grill plate. In this dayand age, the number of electric kitchen appliances available for use hasplaced kitchen counter and storage spaces at a premium. An appliancethat could serve two different functions, namely a contact grill and agrooved griddle, could provide substantial advantages in cost andstorage space relative to appliances that can perform only one function.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an improvedhousehold cooking appliance. More specifically, an object of thisinvention is to provide an improved household electric grooved griddle.Yet another object of this invention is to provide an improved householdelectric contact grill. A related object is to provide a convertiblehousehold electric cooking appliance which can be used as a groovedgriddle or as a contact grill.

[0007] In accordance with the foregoing objects, the present inventionprovides a convertible household electric cooking appliance comprising alower cooking unit and an upper cooking unit pivotally mounted on thelower cooking unit for rotation substantially about a horizontal axisinto three different positions, a first position in which the uppercooking unit is on top of the lower cooking unit, a second position inwhich the upper cooking unit is substantially horizontally oriented withand parallel to the lower cooking unit, and a third, generally upright,position intermediate the first and second positions. Both the upper andthe lower cooking units have heated cooking plates which aresubstantially mutually coextensive and form a cooking chamber betweenthem when the upper cooking unit is on top of the lower cooking unit.When the cooking appliance is so organized, it forms a contact grill.When the upper cooking unit is pivoted to a position beside the lowercooking unit, the cooking appliance is organized to provide a pair ofgrooved griddles or a “double griddle.” When used as a double griddle,the cooking appliance of this invention naturally provides a largercooking surface area than when used as a contact grill.

[0008] Preferably, the upper cooking unit, when used as part of a doublegriddle, has a support leg which supports the upper cooking unit so thatits cooking plate is substantially coplanar with the lower cookingplate. The support leg is preferably pivotally mounted on the cover ofthe upper cooking unit and can be pivoted to an out of the way position,nearly flush with the upper cooking unit cover, when not in use.

[0009] When the cooking appliance of this invention is used as a contactgrill, liquid cooking byproducts are guided away from the food beingcooked by sloping surfaces on the lower cooking plate onto liquid outletsurface portions of the lower plate which direct the liquid cookingbyproducts into a collection tray located below the liquid outletsurface portions.

[0010] The lower cooking plate of this invention is preferably mountedin a horizontal orientation and has a horizontal upper surface andsloping surfaces formed by elongate grooves of increasing depth from oneend thereof the other. Because of this construction, the horizontalupper surface of the lower grill plate is divided into a plurality ofelongate ribs having horizontal, mutually coplanar upper surfaces thatsupport the food being cooked. Because the food rests on the horizontalupper surfaces of the ribs, food being cooked on the lower cooking platehas no tendency to slide along the downwardly-sloping surfaces.

[0011] Further in accordance with this invention, the grooves in thecooking plates are preferably generally parallel to a horizontal axisabout which the upper cooking unit pivots relative to the lower cookingunit. The parts are organized so that the collection tray is located onone side of the lower cooking unit and a timer and a “power on” lightcan conveniently be mounted on the front of the lower cooking unitwithout interfering with the use of the tray.

[0012] Preferably, the upper cooking plate is, when in use, horizontallysupported and has plural, elongate, food-supporting ribs with mutuallycoplanar food-engaging surfaces separated by arcuate troughs thatincrease in depth from one side of the cooking plate to the other. Theribs and troughs are also parallel to an axis of rotation of the uppercooking unit relative to the lower cooking unit. When used as a griddlemember, liquid cooking byproducts are guided by the grooves away fromthe food being cooked and accumulate at the deeper ends of the grooves.

[0013] In another aspect of this invention, an object is to provide animproved cooking unit for a household electric cooking appliance. Inaccordance with this aspect of the invention, a cooking unit, whichitself may form a household griddle appliance or which may be connectedto another cooking unit to form a contact grill, has a cooking platewith sloping surfaces for directing liquid cooking byproducts away fromthe cooking area to liquid outlet surface portions on the cooking plateand over the outlet surface portions into a collection tray removablymounted on the cooking unit.

[0014] Other arrangements are possible, but the collection tray ispreferably mounted in a cavity located in the same support as thecooking plate. The cavity is defined in part by a pair of vertical wallportions spaced apart from one another in a parallel manner andextending in the same direction as the grooves. A pair of coplanar,upwardly-facing tray-supporting surfaces project toward one another fromrespective ones of the vertical wall portions. The collection tray hastwo lateral side flanges removably and slidably retained on thetray-supporting surfaces.

[0015] The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this inventionwill become apparent from the following description and accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016]FIG. 1 is a fragmentary, perspective view of a convertiblehousehold electric cooking appliance in accordance with this inventionshown in a closed, storage condition.

[0017]FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, perspective view of the appliance of FIG.1 shown opened to receive foods to be cooked.

[0018]FIG. 3 is a partly exploded, perspective view, with parts brokenaway to show internal detail, of the appliance shown organized tooperate as a griddle.

[0019]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the appliance taken along line4-4 of FIG. 3.

[0020]FIG. 5 is a side elevational view of the appliance viewed in thedirection of arrows 5-5 of FIG. 3.

[0021]FIG. 6 is a fragmentary, exploded perspective view of theappliance in the area thereof generally indicated by arrows 6-6 of FIG.5 and illustrates the mounting of a leg on the cover of the uppercooking unit in accordance with this invention.

[0022]FIG. 7 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view of the appliancetaken along line 7-7 of FIG. 6.

[0023]FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIG. 7 but showing the leg in adifferent position of operation.

[0024]FIG. 9 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a hinge that maybe used to pivotally connect the upper and lower cooking units together.

[0025]FIGS. 10, 11 and 12 are views similar to FIG. 10 that illustratethe operation of the hinge.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a convertible household electriccooking appliance in accordance with this invention is generallydesignated 20 and comprises a lower cooking unit 22, an upper cookingunit 24 pivotally mounted on the lower cooking unit 22 for rotationsubstantially about a horizontal axis 26 into three different positions,a first position shown in FIG. p36 which the upper cooking unit 24 is ontop of the lower cooking unit 22, a second position shown in FIG. 3 inwhich the upper cooking unit 24 is substantially horizontally orientedwith and parallel to the lower cooking unit 22, and a third, generallyupright, position illustrated in FIG. 2 intermediate the first positionof FIG. 1 and the second position of FIG. 2.

[0027] With reference also to FIG. 4, the lower cooking unit 22 includesa support or support housing 30 that supports a lower cooking plate 32mounted by the support 30 in a horizontal orientation. Lower cookingplate 32 can be made from a suitable aluminum alloy or other metal andis preferably coated with a Whitford or other non-stick coating and iselectrically heated, as conventional, by a calrod or other heatingelement (not shown). As shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the lower cookingplate 32 has an upwardly-facing, upper surface formed from plural,mutually parallel and coplanar cooking surfaces 34 separated from oneanother by plural, mutually-parallel arcuate drainage grooves 36 thatincrease in depth from adjacent one side margin 38 (at the left asviewed FIG. 4) of the lower cooking plate 32 toward the opposite sidemargin 40 (at the right as viewed in FIG. 4) of the lower cooking plate32. In addition, the lower cooking plate 32 has liquid outlet surfaceportions 42 adjacent the opposite or right side margin 40 that permitliquid cooking byproducts, such as fats, oils and other residues of thecooking process, to move down the drainage grooves 36 to drip downwardlyoff the lower cooking plate 32.

[0028] Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, 3 and 5, the upper cooking unit 24comprises an upper housing or cover 44 having a forwardly projectinghandle 46. Upper cooking unit 24 additionally includes an upper cookingplate 50 affixed, as by screws (not shown) to the cover 44. Uppercooking plate 50 is also heated by a conventional calrod or otherheating element and is preferably coated with a Whitford or othernon-stick coating. Also, the upper cooking plate 50 has plural, mutuallyplanar cooking surfaces 52 separated by grooves 54 which slope from alesser depth near the left side margin, designated 56, of the uppercooking unit 24 to a greater depth near the right side margin,designated 58, of the upper cooking unit 24. The upper cooking unit 24can be placed over the lower cooking unit 22 as shown in FIG. 1 to forma cooking chamber (not shown) between the two cooking plates 32 and 50.Here it may be noted that the lower cooking plate 32 and the uppercooking plate 50 are substantially coextensive in size and shape andhave interfitting upstanding perimeter walls 60 and 62, respectively,which confine the cooking chamber.

[0029] The pivotal connection between the lower cooking unit 22 and theupper cooking unit 24 can take any of various forms. A presentlypreferred connection comprises a hinge, generally designated 64, whichpivotally connects the back side of the upper cooking plate 50 to theback side of the lower cooking plate 32. With reference to FIGS. 2, 3and 9 through 12, the hinge 64 comprises a pair of vertically elongatedbearing members 66 affixed to the lower cooking plate 32 at respectiveopposite ends of the back margin thereof and a pair of hinge pins 68located within the bearing members 66. As is evident from a comparisonof FIGS. 9 through 12, a user of the appliance 20 can pivot the uppercooking unit 24 in a clockwise direction from its position shown inFIGS. 1 and 9 to its position shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, by pullingupwardly on the upper cover handle 46 to pivot the upper cooking unit 24into the intermediate or upright position illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 10.Further clockwise pivotal movement of the upper cooking unit 24 isprevented by the engagement of a stop lug 70 at the back of the uppercooking plate 50 with the back edge of the lower cooking plate 32. Theuser can then lift the upper cooking unit 24 upwardly so that the hingepins 68 are moved upwardly within the bearing 66 to move the stop lug 70away from the lower cooking plate 32, thus allowing the user to continuepivoting the upper cooking unit 24 in a clockwise direction until itreaches the position shown in FIGS. 3 and 12, at which time the uppercooking plate 50 faces upwardly.

[0030] Preferably, the two cooking plates 32 and 50 are both horizontaland mutually coplanar when the cooking units 22 and 24 are side-by-sideone another as shown in FIG. 3 so that both may be used to form a doublegrooved griddle. To avoid an unduly bulky and heavy construction, theupper cooking unit 24 has a lesser height than the lower cooking unit22. To position the two cooking plates 32 and 50 at the same elevation,the upper cooking unit 24 has a vertically-extending support leg 72which cooperates with the hinge 64 to support the upper cooking unit 24when it is used as a griddle. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 5 through 8,the support leg 72, when not in use, is unobtrusively located within arecess 74 located centrally in the upper housing cover 44. Leg 72 has apivot rod 76 which is generally rectangular in cross section and whichhas bores 78 at each end that receive the ends of a spring wire 80trapped against the underside of the upper cover 44. In either endposition of the leg 72, i.e., in the recess 74 or projecting outwardlyto serve as a support, the spring wire 80 biases the pivot rod 76against a vertical wall 82 integral with the upper cover 44 so that theleg 72 is biased by the spring wire 80 to remain in both end positions.

[0031] With reference to FIGS. 1 through 5, a collection tray 84 havinga handle 84A is positionable within a cavity 86 that extends beneath theliquid outlet surface portions 42 of the lower cooking plate 32 forcollecting liquid cooking byproducts dripping off the lower cookingplate 32. The cavity 86 is defined in part by a pair of vertical wallportions 88 spaced apart from one another in a parallel manner andextending in the same direction as the grooves 36. A pair of coplanar,upwardly-facing, tray-supporting slide members 90 project toward oneanother from respective ones of the vertical wall portions 88 forslidably retaining two lateral side flanges 92 formed on the sides ofthe collection tray 84. Bosses 92A on the bottom leading ends of theside flanges 92 slide over the top surfaces of the slide members 90 sothat one may easily slide the collection tray 84 into the cavity 86 fromthe right side of the appliance 20 in position to collect liquid cookingbyproducts during cooking operations, and slide the collection tray 84out of the cavity 86 to empty and clean the tray 84. Slide members 90have depending stop plates 90A at their outermost ends. The stop plates90A are engaged by stop members 93 formed on the sides of the tray 84 toprevent the tray 84 from being inserted too far into the cavity 86.

[0032] Because the collection tray 84 is mountable from a side of thelower cooking unit 22, the front of the appliance 20 can be used as acontrol panel for a timer 94 and a “power on” signal light 96 so thatthe timer 94 and the light 96 are conveniently accessible and visible.The “power on” light is connected in the electric circuit for energizingthe heating elements (not shown) for each cooking plate 32 and 50. Thetwo heating elements are connected by a wrapped power cord 98, as isconventional in contact grills.

[0033] The usages of the cooking appliance 20 of this invention arebelieved obvious in view of the foregoing description and the drawings.When the appliance 20 is organized as shown in FIG. 1, liquid cookingbyproducts will tend to flow under the influence of gravity into thecollection tray 84. If the appliance 20 is organized as shown in FIG. 3to provide a type of double griddle, the collection tray 84 is usefulfor collecting liquid cooking byproducts from the lower cooking plate32. However, cooking byproducts entering the grooves 54 in the uppercooking plate 50 will accumulate at the right side of its grooves 54.

[0034] As shown in the drawings, the cooking units 22 and 24 are bothsubstantially rectangular, each having longer front and back edgesparallel to the hinge 64 connecting them, and shorter side edgesspanning between the opposite ends of the front and back edges.Accordingly, the overall depth of the appliance 20, when the uppercooking unit 24 is beside the lower cooking unit 22 as shown in FIG. 3,is kept to a minimum for the total cooking area made available in thisconfiguration.

[0035] One may note that the lower cooking unit 22 could be used byitself, whether or not the upper cooking unit 24 is connected to thelower cooking unit 24. That is, the lower cooking unit 22 could itselfform a complete appliance.

[0036] Although the presently preferred embodiments of this inventionhave been described, it will be understood that within the purview ofthe invention various changes may be made within the scope of thefollowing claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:
 1. A household electriccooking appliance comprising: a lower cooking unit; an upper cookingunit pivotally mounted on said lower cooking unit for rotation from oneposition in which said upper cooking unit is on top of said lowercooking unit to another position in which said upper cooking unit isgenerally upright; said lower cooking unit comprising: a support; alower cooking plate mounted on said support, said lower cooking platehaving upwardly-facing, food-supporting surfaces separated by drainagegrooves extending generally from one margin of the cooking plate to theopposite margin for directing liquid cooking byproducts away from foodbeing cooked on said food-supporting surfaces; said lower cooking platehaving liquid outlet surface portions at one end of said grooves, saidone end of said grooves being lower than the other end of said groovesso that the liquid cooking byproducts flow toward said one end; saidlower cooking unit having a cavity beneath said liquid outlet surfaceportions; and a collection tray removably mounted in said lower cookingunit so that the liquid cooking byproducts flow toward said lower end ofsaid grooves and along said liquid outlet surfaces into said tray. 2.The cooking appliance of claim 1 wherein said cavity is defined in partby a pair of vertical wall portions spaced apart from one another in aparallel manner and extending in the direction from said one margin tosaid opposite margin, wherein said support has a pair of coplanar,upwardly-facing tray-supporting surfaces projecting toward one anotherfrom respective ones of said vertical wall portions, and wherein saidcollection tray has lateral side flanges slidably retained on saidupwardly-facing tray supporting surfaces to slidably and removablyretain said collection tray in such a manner that liquid cookingbyproducts dripping down from said lower cooking plate can beaccumulated in said collection tray.